What is Copywriting: Introduction to the Art of Word from Skillhub Experts

In the whole new decade of AI and fully automated systems, one must think that copywriting is a relic no longer deserving of the recruiter's attention. However, copywriters are in the highest demand nowadays. How is it possible? Well, AI hasn’t conquered the world yet, and even if it does, businesses will hire humans to use it. And this specific person will be a copywriter. Meanwhile, check what our Skillhub experts think on:

• The definition of copywriting and copywriter’s responsibilities;
• The average copywriter's salary;
• The copywriting vs content writing difference;
• Types of copywriting and why modern businesses need copywriters to prosper.

What is Copywriting? 

As a job, copywriting gained popularity back at the end of the nineteenth century. So, in contrast to popular opinion stating that copywriting is an invention of the Internet era, the art of words and sales has always been there. 

There are even a few names in the history of the writing business. The first one, often considered the creator of initial copywriting rules, is John Emory Powers. Back in the 1870s, he used a simple style of short, easy-to-read sentences that promoted products in posters, catalogs, and newspapers - a perfect mixture of advertisement and storytelling. 

Other copywriting ‘inventors’ (with totally opposite opinions) are Claude C. Hopkins and Bill Bernbach. The former, known as a creator of the ‘Scientific Advertising’ guide on copywriting, thought of copywriting as a strictly selling activity, while the latter emphasized creativity. In the end, what we have today and will have in the future of work is both practicality and creativity. 

So, what is copywriting? In a nutshell, copywriting is the art of words that aims to ignite the reader’s interest in the product promoted with the further purpose of buying it. 

• Copywriting recognizes consumer interests, needs, and pains and suggests a solution;
• Everyone can recognize themselves in a copywriting text designed to offer a solution to the consumer’s problem; 
• The definitive elements of copywriting are keywords, internal and external links, catchy headings, bulleted lists, and easy-to-break paragraphs.

Now let’s move to the question of who a copywriter is and what they do. 

What is a Copywriter?

The answer to the ‘what is a copywriter’ question is simple: a copywriter is a person who creates a copy ( the words used to promote a product) that is engaging, shows value, and encourages the reader to buy the company’s product or service. 

Sure, the copywriting definition will stay the same at its core for any copywriting job - developing creative, valuable, and useful to the reader copy. However, not all copywriting jobs are created equal. Some will emphasize creativity and putting a reader in the right mood, while others will require a more straight-to-the-point attitude. Everything depends on the industry and the particular business a copywriter operates in. 

But one of the core insights for career changers to learn about copywriting is that one should learn the copywriting types first. 

• B2B or business-to-business copywriting. The target audience of B2B copywriting are businesses that can benefit from the company’s products. This type of copywriting is especially popular in IT development with outsourcing and benefit-maximizing tools; 
• Copy marketing. This type of copywriting is indirect about selling. In the form of blog posts and social media posts, a copywriter brings business awareness to the reader and increases their trust; 
• Email copywriting. Here, a copywriter engages with the reader in a one-on-one conversation. This is where a copywriter keeps the company’s subscribers aware of new products, discounts, offers, etc.; 
• SEO copywriting. The best books on copywriting will tell you that this type has the biggest influence on the entire copywriting industry. All because SEO copywriting is the art of ranking the articles higher on the web and knowing how to trick Google into promoting them. 

Copywriting has far more subsections, but the ones covered above are core in the industry. 

What Does a Copywriter Do?

A copywriter is the most relevant person who knows how to make a blog article score the highest in the Internet search. 

The best copywriting technique is translating the product’s value into words, encouraging customers to trust the company and buy a product. For this purpose, a copywriting services creates copy in the form of emails, blog and social media posts, and infographics, among others. 

Does a Copywriter Create Something?

The role of a copywriter at any organization or department is to create copy to educate and engage customers. The copywriting portfolio might include a variety of copywriting examples like banners, emails, newsletters, blog posts, landing pages, product descriptions, and social media posts be patient when you need to hire copywriter with great skills.

To create a compelling copy that sells, a copywriting specialist should know the company’s selling strategy, mission, and values, as well as the target audience, their needs, and wishes.

The Copywriter Job Description

As we’ve already learned, copywriting jobs differ. For instance, depending on freelance copywriting jobs or a regular 9-to-5 shift, one’s duties will vary: the former will prioritize communication and deadlines, while the latter will offer more flexibility. 

In the end, the main duties of a standard copywriter are as follows: 

• Using SEO tools for creating engine-enhancing copy; 
• Applying research skills and critical thinking;
• Creating a user-engaging copy;
• Proofreading and editing the copy;
• Sometimes, publishing and promoting articles.

Average Copywriter Salary

The copywriter’s salary depends on the copywriter’s proficiency, accomplishments, number of years, and the variety of skills developed through the career. 

A professional copywriter salary in the US earns around $55 thousand annually. 

Sure, sending a salary increase letter will give you more chances to get paid better. However, you should always remember that everything depends on the country the company operates in, the company’s budget, and your ability to improve your skills. 

Who Hires Copywriters? 

Hiring a copywriter, especially for marketing copywriting duties, is one of the most valuable assets a modern company might consider. Why so? As it’s already been said, professional copywriters know how to develop trust, bring awareness, persuade, and sell. Moreover, with the development of AI tools, businesses will still need professionals that can operate them. Hence, no wonder that copywriting will make it to the jobs of the future 2025 list. 

Before we move to the industries that can benefit from copywriting talent acquisition, let’s check the top reasons to hire a copywriter right now. 

• Hiring a copywriter brings your brand development strategy to a brand new level; 
• A copywriter knows how to make a potential customer trust your business; 
• Most copywriters have marketing skills - they know how to expedite your business growth and boost sales;
• Hiring a copywriter saves you time and maximizes your business profit.

Now let’s move to the industries and businesses that can benefit from reaching out to copywriters. 

• Startups. At the beginning of any road, a traveler meets obstacles. The same can be said about companies that have recently started their business activities and haven’t gained enough clients. This is when a specialist with a copywriting certificate comes to the damsel in distress (which a startup is) and saves it. A copywriter knows how to launch a successful beginning of your company’s blog that will eventually increase brand awareness and bring you more customers; 
• IT field. This is where innovation and competition are. Again, a copywriter with top skills will help your company prosper by advertising it on social media and knowing how to put your blog articles at the top of Google results. Because IT is a demanding industry and is often about B2B copywriting, finding a writing professional with proper tech knowledge might be tough;
• Finance and banking or FinTech. One of the sectors with top technologies in demand, FinTech, needs a powerful copywriting backup. Because FinTech ideas and solutions are difficult to grasp for almost everyone who knows nothing about FinTech, the industry hires copywriters who can translate these ideas into easy-to-understand concepts and attract more customers;
• Healthcare and medicine. The so-called ‘graying’ or aging population is growing as well as the number of new illnesses and diseases (remember COVID-19?). This means a growing number of people are curious about protecting their health and accessing the top innovative healthcare solutions. Hence, a greater need for professionals who can spread the word about healthcare and medicine.

Copywriting vs. Content Writing: What’s the Difference 

Both copywriting and content writing are forms of writing as we know them. Nonetheless, both differ in goals, principles, end products, and tone. While copywriting focuses on selling the company’s products, content writing is more about storytelling and building a trustful relationship with a reader.

In the end, the core differences in copywriting vs content writing are as follows:

• Goals. Copywriting activities like seo copywriting or even ai copywriting have a goal to sell, while content copywriting aims to educate the reader;
• Products. The products of copywriting are sales pages, slogans and taglines, landing pages, website copy, email newsletters, and ads. Meanwhile, the products of content writing are blog posts, infographics, and case studies;
• Ideas. Copywriting is less about entertainment and more about promoting, while content writing is more about teaching and informing; 
• Tone. Content writing is more conversational and informal compared to copywriting;
• Call to action. Content writing might rarely ask a reader to act while copywriting always does. 

A common business benefits from both copywriting and content writing. In fact, the biggest part of blog writing successfully combines the features of copywriting and content writing. For instance, an article might aim to educate the reader, describe the problem and provide a solution while containing call-to-action blocks and subtle advertising.

 Again, everything depends on the writer and the company’s goals. Therefore, when interviewing a copywriting professional, a hiring manager will always ask what a copywriter thinks about the company’s blog in terms of style and content. 

Copywriting FAQs

What is a marketing copywriter? 

Ever seen a catchy headline that made your fingers tap the ‘Open’ button? Yeap, this is marketing copywriting at its fullest. A marketing copywriter is a professional who knows how to create catchy headlines and uses the best techniques in persuasive writing. In addition, they often use industry statistics, infographics, and case studies to market the product and educate the reader about the industry and the ongoing trends. 

The best copywriters have marketing and advertising combined with strong knowledge of social media and promotion tools like Publer. 

Also, the texts by marketing writers are often powered by SEO optimization and industry knowledge. They often collaborate with the design and marketing team and learn more about the company’s products, services, clients, and sales strategies after applying for a job and starting the job. 

How can a beginner start copywriting? 

Great copywriting is all about work and self-discipline. Sure, an ATS-friendly resume will win you a job, but if your skills are lower than average, prepare for long working hours. To avoid the impostor syndrome and feel at ease right from your first day at the new job, ensure your skills are already good enough. 

• Editing, proofreading, and writing skills make the core of the writer’s profession. You can join language or copywriting courses (or both) to upgrade your skills and build your recognizable style;
• Read and learn from the greatest. A great copywriter is a great reader. Choose the writers with a style you like, analyze their writing, and try to repeat their style before you develop your own.

What is Seo copywriting? 

Most content writers have SEO skills. In a nutshell, seo copywriting is a type that uses search engine optimization tools to attract more clients online. Everything is about ratings regarding posting and publishing an article on the web. The higher your article is on the Google list, the more online traffic it gets. With big numbers of visitors comes high sales levels. 

Meanwhile, an SEO copywriter knows which tools to use to define the number of keywords in the article, so Google considers it a relevant and credible source. Therefore, in this case, Google will show it in the user’s search results and recommendations.

What skills do you need for copywriting?

Like any other job in the market, copywriting is all about soft and hard skills that allow one to deal with their work responsibilities at the highest level. While the top skills required for copywriting are about writing itself and language proficiency, other good-to-have skills are communication- and tech-related. Again, everything depends on the niche you choose to work in.

The most important copywriting skills to focus on if you want to get more interviews are as follows:

• Research skills. Finding necessary statistics and data for the article is essential during the writing process;
• Communication skills. Knowing how to communicate your ideas to the reader or your colleague is a must;
• Language proficiency. This includes proofreading, editing, grammar, and everything you need to sound fluent and write error-free copy.

What is creative copywriting? 

Let’s remember once and forever that creative copywriting is common copywriting but more about puns and metaphors. Think slogans and ad campaigns. Remember those catchy dialogues in Coca-Cola ads? Yeap, this is the work of a creative copywriter. 

Companies employ creative copywriters for advertising campaigns (script writing), email marketing, slogan writing, and even developing the entire value-and-mission system of the company. 

The main responsibility of a creative copywriter is to learn the target audience and develop content on the company’s behalf that is catchy, fun, and speaks to the customer’s value and emotions. Why emotions? Because a creative copywriter knows how to persuade the audience of the product’s efficiency in solving a particular problem. The message is, ‘Hey, we can make you happy.’

What is a sales copy? 

A sales copy is commonly a text created to sell the company’s product. It is commonly a part of all copywriting types and informative media. One can find a sales copy in such copywriting examples like email advertising, brochures, and any advertising placed on the company’s website (for instance, e-books which a company offers in a pdf format to all readers). 

A sales copy commonly creates keywords and catchy phrases that, powered by call-to-action phrases or blocks, motivate the user to tap the ‘Get’ button.

A sales copy is about storytelling. It’s about letting the reader recognize themselves in the problem covered in the ad. Also, a sales copy is concise as it respects customers’ time. Oh, and don’t forget a good old call to action!

Why is a quality copywriter important for business?

A quality copywriter is a hidden force behind the sales wheel in any company with a website or an ad to film. Unlike other writing jobs, copywriting is directly linked to marketing and advertising. A specialist with a certificate in copywriting knows how to promote business products and services by generating texts with proper keyword density, structure, and internal/external links. 

How can a professional copywriter be helpful to a modern business? 

• Copywriters are specialists who bring more customers with fewer resources engaged; 
• They know the target audience and can timely detect whether their needs have changed or not; 
• Copywriters are at the forefront of the brand - most customers build their impression of the company after reading its blog or landing pages.

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Key Takeaway 

Copywriters will be in high demand despite AI becoming more popular. All because copywriters are a marketing fuel in any business that wants to be successful and uses advertising for this purpose. It’s easy to land an interview as a copywriter if you’ve got the right skills. Join language and writing courses, learn more about advertising and marketing, and you’re good to go! However, before you opt for writing a bot-beating resume, you might think of getting a freelance job first and finding out whether you’re happy with the whole idea. 

We hope the article was helpful to you! Good luck!